Rutland Organization Works to Assist Asylum Seekers

Imagine having to get up one morning, and on a morning’s notice, having to leave the only place you have ever known and move somewhere entirely different in order to be safe. Not knowing the language or being able to work, this is the reality for many asylum seekers fleeing Latin America and coming to America.

Asylum seekers are different from refugees: Refugees are people who are fleeing a country that has been recognized as unsafe. Asylum seekers are fleeing for reasons specific to their family, and so because of this they do not get any financial help or any help at all, and are not allowed to work until they have officially filed the legal paperwork for asylum status, which can take up to 12 months.

Fortunately, there are people in our community who are helping out in many ways. As a part of the Bridge to Rutland group, Ms. Fountain has been instrumental in helping the four asylum seekers who arrived in Rutland last June settle in. She joined the group when it was founded in 2019 by six local faith communities.

She has become an English tutor and this summer would spend three days a week tutoring the current asylum seekers in Rutland. Now that the school year has started this has been cut down to one night, but she still loves to do it. Currently, she is tutoring a family of three, with the two parents and a ten month old baby. “It has been very gratifying to see how they have progressed in their English in the time I have spent with them,” Fountain says.

Her teaching styles vary. From traditional teaching methods such as reading, teaching grammar to taking a relaxing walk and talking in English, these have all been very successful. Currently, there are four asylum seekers that are in Rutland. They are all fully funded for housing, food and all other necessities by the Bridge to Rutland organization.

This is all through donations, and there are about 20 fully involved members of Bridge to Rutland and countless more part time volunteers. In addition to the volunteers, Bridge to Rutland works with CASP, an asylum seeker organization in Bennington, VT and Kino Border initiative in Arizona, the group that helped to connect the four people who are currently in Rutland with the Bridge to Rutland. There are also groups all over VT and NH that have formed an alliance with one another.

Currently, the four people in Rutland are starting the process of seeking asylum which can take up to five years and they can still be denied in the end. They have found lawyers and living accommodations, which has all been funded by Bridge to Rutland. According to Fountain, “All are very grateful and feel welcome, and will most likely stay in Rutland if their asylum applications are ultimately approved.”

For more information and ways to volunteer visit the website linked here.